Category: Fuselage

Keel and center wing spar

Keel glued in place with structural epoxy + flox + cabo.  Riveted in place to clamp. Lower cowling removed from fuselage, cowl flange is now in place. With cowling removed, holes for MLG bushings can be drilled into firewall and gear bulkhead.  Multiple layups placed around forward area of keel, where it joins the canard bulkhead.

Lower fuselage was cut out for center spar just forward of firewall and from flange down to gear pocket.  Also MLG cutouts were made in the lower fuselage.  Center wing spar section sanded and wiped down with alcohol. Preliminary fitting, leveling, and shimming of center spar accomplished.

Ducting, bulkhead work, and controls

NACA oil scoop was reinforced with 2-ply BID top and bottom of scoop. Additional strengtheners glassed to area of gear bulkhead around the gear pulley openings.

Rudder cable see-saw installed on canard bulkhead, and battery shelf positioned and clecoed in place. NLG actuator bolted into place on fuselage centerline.

Heat duct (pre-fab part) sawed in half and internal flange fabricated by using waxed Al tape on one half and bonding 2-ply BID across seam.

Iteratively cut lower cowling along cut line aft of firewall, holding it in place with hot glue and wooden sticks.  Added a 2-ply BID layup to strengthen joint between firewall and fuselage in region of cowl flange.

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Saturday work

Wings were put back on wing fixtures for fitting of winglets.  Wing and winglet contours adjusted by sanding until the edges were within 1/8″along the join line. Foam was partially cut out of spar and both LE and TE blocks to accept the inner layups. BID layups placed on inner seam, and then dug-out foam was replaced with micro.  A block of foam was then glued in place with micro, and after cure, was contoured with knife and sanding to blend lower wing and outer winglet surfaces.

NACA oil cooler scoop was cleaned up, with excess cabo ground away and outside lip of scoop sanded flush with fuselage skin.

MLG cable pulley holes were cut in gear bulkhead. Strips of 2-ply BID layups were placed along gear bulkhead and canard bulkhead for strengthening.

Rudder pedal and toe brake assembly was built up from parts.

 

Miscellaneous fuselage work

Used structural adhesive + cabo + flox to glue in gear pockets and rear bulkhead.  Clecoed in place to clamp. NLG door hinge tabs cleaned up and drilled.  NACA oil cooler scoop (pre-made part) fitted to side of fuselage, with opening contoured and shaped with a lot of filing.  Foam removed from between fuselage skins to provide grip for epoxy.  All surfaces were sanded, and the scoop was bonded into place with cabo+flox.  Taped to hold scoop edges against fuselage. Multi-layer BID reinforcements placed over wooden hard points inside keel. Nose access panel hole cut out to leave a flange.  Pre-fabricate nose access panel door sanded to fit flush on flange.

Cutting windshield and window holes

Used jigsaw to cut windshield and window holes out of top fuselage.  Sanded edges straight, filed contours of corners.  Used router to remove inner skin and foam around window opening to make a flange for bonding the plexiglas.

Plexiglas windshield was trimmed to fit with bandsaw.  Iterative process due to compound curvature.

Fuselage bulkhead placement

The lower half of the fuselage was leveled fore and aft and side to side, and then it was fixed in place in its cradle using Bondo. Working forward, the engine firewall, landing gear pockets, gear bulkhead, cable conduits, keel, and canard bulkhead (all pre-fabricated parts) were placed in their respective positions, trimmed where necessary to fit, and their positions marked on the fuselage. Holes were drilled through the bulkhead flanges and the fuselage inner skin for later clecos.

The area of the fuselage close to the NLG door hinges was protected with aluminum tape.  Next, the NLG door part was glued into place with wood sticks and hot glue.  The NLG door hinges were alined and spaced correctly using a piece of all-thread, and then cemented into place with resin+cabosil+flox (cabo/flox).